Barry M. Goldwater scholarship

Established by Congress in 1986, the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation operates an educational scholarship program designed to provide opportunities for outstanding U.S. students with excellent academic records and demonstrated interest in, and potential for, careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering.

Each year, MIT may nominate up to four individuals for the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. The deans of MIT School of Science and MIT School of Engineering each may nominate two students as put forward by their department heads.

To be considered for the scholarship, MIT students must be current full-time sophomores or juniors, must be pursuing a degree in mathematics, natural sciences, or engineering, and be U.S. citizens. Those students with permanent resident status must provide a letter of intention to obtain U.S. citizenship.

In September, the nomination process begins. Eligible students are required to submit the following to their Department Academic Administrators in the middle of the fall semester:

Names of three MIT faculty members who have agreed to write letters of recommendation

In late November, academic administrators will consult with department heads and put forward one student to represent the department. The dean will select two candidates to represent the School of Science.

The selected one or two students are then required to complete the following by January:

Ask faculty members to submit their letters of recommendation the MIT Goldwater campus representative.

MIT will then submit the completed applications to Goldwater by the last Friday in January. In February, the Goldwater Foundation will review the nominations from all schools. In mid-March, the Goldwater Board of Trustees will vote on the Goldwater Scholars and Honorable Mentions and make a formal announcement at the end of the month.